Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1
Year:
2019
Type of Events Held:
- Lecture/ Briefing
- Other
- Other: Reception
Target Audiences:
- General Public
- Other
- Patients & Caregivers
- Professionals
- Other: Policymakers
Approximate Number of People Reached:
Thousands through social media outreach, ca. physical 70 attendees
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
The European Brain Council (EBC) held its annual Brain Awareness Week event early this year (6 March 2019), ensuring access to the European Parliament in Brussels and an audience of policymakers and the general public. This year, the event focused on “Mood and Food: Exploring the gut-brain connection”, examining the connection between mood and food, exploring the relationship between what you eat and how it can affect your mood and daily function. The event was held in the form of a reception in order to allow for attendees to combine food and learning! Our first speaker was Alejandro Arias Vasquez, who leads a research group that aims to identify the biological mechanisms underlying the way the brain functions in health and disease, with strong emphasis on neurodevelopmental disorders at Radboud University Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Alejandro spoke on the role gut bacteria can play in the risk of psychiatric diseases and described the results of some of the studies he is carrying out to investigate this. Our second speaker, Kimberley Wilson, is a nutrition trained Chartered Psychologist, specialising in Whole Body Mental Health. Kimberley spoke on the need for increased public engagement in the field of nutrition, wellbeing and how they affect our brain and minds, as well as how we translate research to clinical practice. Her clinical work looks at the role nutrition and lifestyle play in our mental health, including disordered eating, functional disorders of the gut-brain axis (IBS) and our emotional relationships with food. Full report: https://bit.ly/2UdHhpC
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Calendar Listings (newspapers, radio, television)
- Emails
- Mailings
- Press Release/Media Advisory
- Website
- Social Media
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
Announcement at all attended meetings and events prior to our event
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
Brain Awareness Week is always a great opportunity for EBC as an organization to take the time to reach out to the broader general public and policymakers at the same time with gripping, eye-catching yet simple awareness raising of neuroscience and cutting-edge brain research that generally draws a lot of attention and interest. Usually a followership continues to grow based on these events as well as building of new expert contacts to further collaborate with in the future.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
No
